Trying to be Useful, one post at a time!

January 2017 Wrap-Up

Hope you all have a great reading month in January and I wish you all to have another great reading month in February!

This month I read & reviewed 12 books (8 regular and 4 children’s books). The link on the title is where you can find my reviews of each book. The most memorable about this month for me was the interactions I have with authors. It was a great experience. I have never done something like that before. Even though my blog started in July 2014, I was only serious in reading and reviewing books in May 2016. This year, interacting with authors definitely bring my blogging experience to the next level. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interact with Unplugged’s author Donna Freitas, Princess of Tyrone’s author Katie Hamstead, and Sashi series’ author, Linda Greiner. I admire them all greatly. Donna Freitas has been a Professor at Boston University and written many books for teens and adult both fiction and non-fiction. Katie Hamstead is a host of Son of a Pitch and has written many books. Linda Greiner foster for Shetland Sheepdog Placement Services of New Jersey to find forever homes to rescued/unwanted Shelties (a breed of dog). It’s amazing to read these books and get to know the person who wrote it. 🙂

This month I have trouble getting into Freeks by Amanda Hocking and Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones. I plan to give it a try again and hopefully it will be better. I also didn’t read any books I own, which raise questions why I bother to buy books. I will try hard to read a book I own next month.

How did your January reading month go? If you are looking for a book to read and review, Katie Hamstead is looking for reviewers to review her books. I highly recommend Princess of Tyrone!

Ha I’m the same way! I don’t really “advertise” my negative reviews on social media (like on twitter). I feel too bad doing that! But you’re definitely right about reaching out to authors if you loved a book. That makes a lot more sense.

And they do love to know readers love their books too. Vic James of Gilded Cage, she was happy to know I loved her book and Robin Roe from A List of Cages. It’s her debut so she replied everyone’s tweets and even retweeted my review tweet too. It’s great 🙂

Looks like you had a fantastic reading month in January, Jasmine!! That’s so awesome about the interacting with authors. And you’re definitely not the only one who hasn’t read any of their own books. I’ve been ARC central for the past few months and haven’t either even though I’ve bought several books I want to read 😂. I hope you a great February! 😊💕

I am aware there’s a challenge floating around blogosphere about reading your own books haha.. I might have to get on it at some point 😊 Thank you Melissa and I hope you will have a good reading month in February as well! Twitter really makes it easy to communicate with the authors. You should add the author’s username to your review. I’m sure they would love to know what people are thinking of their book. I started to do that this month, only the 5 stars one though haha I don’t like blasting about books I don’t love. I got you a head start on Gilded Cage because I love how you wrote your review and I’m glad the author loves it too 😊

I think I saw that challenge too. I also saw one that was a TBR challenge that I’m thinking about joining because it’ll mean focusing more on my never ending TBR. 😂
You’re welcome!! 💕
I feel weird tagging authors in reviews because I almost always talk about something I didn’t like, even with a 5 star one. I mean I don’t mind them seeing it but I can’t bring myself to tag them in it. 🙈
I so need to start using my twitter more though. I’ve rarely been on it lately because I never know what to tweet lol.
I saw that earlier and thanks so much. I fangirled a bit when I saw that she liked my review. 😂🙈

Same here.. I don’t really tweet much.. just the links to my reviews.. haha.. or few conversations here and there with fellow bloggers.. Well, there’s always next year if we don’t get through some books in our TBR 🙂

Great reading month. Too bad about your two DNF. I hope you’re able to pick them up again sometime. Don’t feel bad about not reading your own books. Its hard to do sometimes unless you make it a point to do so.

Yes both are on my TBR. I did have trouble reading my own books. I have 400+ books with 200+ unread. This year I’m taking part in two challenges that are all about reading your own books. So I have picked 42+ books that I own to read. I’m trying to not check things out of the library. (Which so far so good.) I’m hoping to read a good chunk of my books and maybe give a few away.

You had a great reading month! I loved Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda and The Inexplicable Logic of my Life, I’m glad you enjoyed them! And I am SOOO excited for By Your Side! And how come you couldn’t get into Wintersong?😟

Have you read Wintersong? The book started out similar to ACOTAR and then the monster in this case is the Goblin King whom she knows and grew up with. And it deals with music and finding the best music teacher.. It just doesn’t interest me. I see another blogger gave it 2 stars. She said I made a good decision to DNF because she said there’s nothing going on in the plot. Let me know how you feel when you read it 🙂

You’ve read so many books! :O Way to go, Jasmine!
I know you’ve mentioned Katie Hamstead needing reviewers before and I might give it a try. Thank you for the tip 😉
Looking forward to more posts from you! 🙂

It’s good to be productive at the beginning of the year, so if later on I ended up in a reading slump, I wouldn’t feel the pressure of meeting my reading challenge haha.. Have you posted your January wrap up yet?

Hahaha that’s actually quite logical! I hadn’t thought about it… Too late now xD
And no, I actually don’t do those. I might in the future, though 🙂 In the meantime, I just enjoy reading about everyone else’s 😛

Are you doing a wrap up? how many books did you read? Did you enter the giveaway? I like the read, especially it’s based in London, so I get to read some fun vocabs. Getting Pissed is getting drunk! hahaha… and riding the subway, they are called the Tube. Why Tube?? 🙂

Probably because it looks like a long tube? 🤷‍♀️ I’m not sure!!
I didn’t enter the giveaway…it’s not really my genre. I just remember seeing it on there. It’s probably over by now!
I don’t usually do wrap ups bc I don’t have the time…certain days are for Blogging, then there’s emails, then there’s work/chores, then reading! So I tend to skip wrap ups. But I plan on doing more tags again! I really need to catch up!
I read 9 books this month: I still have to write the review for Rose Daughter. It was…slow. But ok.
I think it was a good month!

About Me

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to read about me. I create this blog to gush over books I love and to connect with other book lovers. As always, too many books, too little time. Time need to freeze so that I can read more books! :-)